Broken

Children have a remarkable talent for transforming small mistakes into looming catastrophes. This picturebook captures that emotional logic with extraordinary warmth, humour and understanding. When Mei Mei accidentally breaks her Ama’s favourite cup whilst attempting to frighten Mimi, the family cat, she is convinced that catastrophe is inevitable. What if Ama gets angry? What if she yells? What if she is so disappointed that she sends Mei Mei away? 

Rather than confess, Mei Mei remains silent, only to discover that guilt has a way of making itself impossible to ignore. When Ama assumes Mimi is responsible, the cat’s seemingly unblinking stare transforms into the embodiment of Mei Mei’s guilty conscience, following her from cake plate to hiding place with increasingly comic intensity.

Fang captures this emotional spiral with extraordinary sensitivity. The story understands that for a child, a small mistake can feel world-ending. Time stretches and distorts. A few minutes in a coat cupboard becomes an imagined exile lasting years. Anxiety magnifies every possibility until the broken cup looms far larger than the accident itself. Yet the book never becomes heavy-handed. The humour remains wonderfully present throughout, particularly in the escalating visual exchanges between Mei Mei and the gloriously indifferent Mimi.

The illustrations are exceptional. Rendered in coloured pencil and rich with visible mark-making, every line feels purposeful. In a world dominated by muted greens, greys and blues, colour appears where emotion gathers: Mimi’s blazing ginger fur, the warm ochres of the treasured cup, the swirl of an untouched slice of cake. Fang’s full-face close-ups are especially striking. Mei Mei’s panic, Mimi’s inscrutable gaze and Ama’s quiet tenderness are communicated with remarkable clarity and warmth. There is nothing generic here; every expression feels deeply observed.

The book’s emotional heart arrives with Ama’s response. Rather than focusing on blame, she offers a lesson in repair. Every patch and every fix, she explains, tells a story. It is a beautiful idea, transforming the narrative from one about mistakes into one about resilience, care and the relationships that endure despite our imperfections.

Warm, wise and visually stunning, this is a picturebook that understands something profound: being forgiven is not about pretending that the break never happened. It is about discovering that what is damaged can still be cherished, mended and loved.